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10 September 2013

Hope and Children

This past Sunday, I had the opportunity to present the first
story in our PlayFull Faith series with a group of upper elementary age
children at our church. To be sure, I hope the PlayFull Faith series will help
people of all ages—adults and children—but one of the tests I have for it is the
“child-friendly” test. I want the story to engage kids and help them interact
meaningfully with the content.

Here’s why this matters to me: I believe in a God of hope. In
fact, I believe that, though love is the greatest of the three cardinal
virtues, it is impossible to love when one has no hope. Hope is a spring from
which faith and love become possible.

To hope is to live now in what-is-to-come. It is a posture
that relinquishes regret concerning the past and embraces courage in the
present because “greater things have yet to come” in the future.

Hope is so foundational a whole theological system has
arisen out of it. This “theology of hope” is one that truly embodies the “now-and-not-yet”
aspect of the kingdom of God of which Jesus spoke. Faith in this Jesus-of-hope
orients one in the present according to “what-will-be”—redemption, joy, beauty,
shalom. A true theology of hope enables one to act in love today through a joy-filled
vision of the future.

I agree with that much.

But here’s my problem with many of our so-called theologies.
They fail to take children into account—not merely as objects of theology but as subjects—or
rather, as authors. Yet, what better resource is there to develop a theology of
hope than children? Children have the
best chance of living out hope since their future is greater than their past. “The
future” is what they have. “The past” is what they will have, in time.

Because of this, PlayFull Faith is intended for all—both young
and old—to discover what it means to live in hope. The stories in the series
are derived from The Story, as told in the Bible. That Big Story reminds us we
are destined for things that spring from Someone “who was and is and is to
come.” If these stories are not for
children, they cannot be for any of us—because, before our Father, we are all
children.

Be on the lookout—especially for this first story in the
series. I expect it will be used in all kinds of settings to help folks dream
about the future. Yes, the creation story is not just about something that
happened in the past. It is a story about the future.

And thank you for all the encouragement so many of you have
given thus far! You truly give the folks at PlayFull “hope to carry on.”

Sheila, yes I reworked the creation story. This is version 1. I was speaking with a friend and co-worker yesterday, however, and--based on a suggestion of hers--I will make one more change to the story pieces--plus some possible changes to the script.

It is the first story in a series of 12 stories, which will include this creation story plus the Cain and Abel story, the prodigal son story, etc. I'll be sure to post about all of them here on PlayFull as they are developed.